California Elementary School Calls Police on 7 year Old Sharing Bible Verses

[Katabole]

http://www.christianpost.com/news/eleme ... es-164792/

A California public school called a Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff in Palmdale to reprimand a 7-year-old student for handing out Bible verses, warning that such actions are "offensive."

Santa Monica Observer reported that the student, who attends Desert Rose Elementary, had been handing out Bible verses given to him in the form of short notes from his mother, Christina Zavala, alongside his lunch.

The young boy distributed the Bible verses while standing on a public sidewalks outside the school.

He also shared other verses and short Bible stories among his friends, until a first-grade teacher saw one of those notes. The teacher reportedly publicly rebuked the boy, and then called his parents, warning them that such actions go against the separation of church and state.

The boy, however, allegedly continued to distribute Bible verses out at the school gate, and subsequently he and his parents were told by the school's principal that what they were doing is not permitted.

Later that day, a Los Angeles deputy sheriff went to the family's home to inform the parents that Desert Rose Elementary School had filed a report against the child for sharing Bible verses.

The Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation organization which specializes in defending religious freedom, has since sent a letter to the Palmdale School District to inform the administration of the correct interpretation of the clause establishing separation of church and state, arguing that pupils have the right to exercise freedom of speech through printed materials.

"Therefore, it was improper to ban student religious discussion during lunchtime. The district cannot suppress and censor this discussion, or the one-page notes consisting of Bible stories and verses placed by C's mother in C 's lunch for his own personal enjoyment and edification; which he voluntarily chose to share with his little friends during non-instructional time; which interested classmates were free to accept or refuse, at their own discretion," the letter stated.

"The additional copies requested by C from his mother, for his friends (who had specifically requested them from him), are likewise protected, and fall into no classification of material that might be lawfully prohibited by the school district," it added.

"The consigning of C's speech to the 'schoolhouse gate,' and then the prohibition of it even there, is unconstitutional, and must fall. Finally, if being censured for religious expression by one's First Grade teacher in front of one's classmates is not intimidating and humiliating enough, the message of hostility to a child's religious expression is underscored by the District calling law enforcement for a 'follow-up visit ' to his house."

Public schools in America often face questions regarding the separation of church and state when it comes to Bible verses used on school campus.

Some compromises include allowing the distribution of biblical material have allowed other groups to hand out their religious, or anti-religious material, such as atheist handbooks, and satanist pamphlets.

[RickD]

Proselytizing 7 year olds?
Those darn Christians will do anything! Forcing their children to hand out bible verses? Oh the horror!!!

Maybe we should just strap suicide vests on our kids instead.

[B. W.]

Proselytizing 7 year olds?
Those darn Christians will do anything! Forcing their children to hand out bible verses? Oh the horror!!!

Maybe we should just strap suicide vests on our kids instead.

Or maybe let them pass out tracks in support of constructing a giant pentagram to raise awareness for satanism

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[Hortator]

Proselytizing 7 year olds?
Those darn Christians will do anything! Forcing their children to hand out bible verses? Oh the horror!!!

Maybe we should just strap suicide vests on our kids instead.

Or maybe let them pass out tracks in support of constructing a giant pentagram to raise awareness for satanism

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If the whole federal mandate on restrooms wasn't enough to disenchant me from public schooling, this intolerance of Christianity in favor of a literal joke religion is just enough reason I need.

Granted, I don't have kids of my own yet, but it's homeschool or bust. I'll do it myself if need be.

[edwardmurphy]

Or maybe let them pass out tracks in support of constructing a giant pentagram to raise awareness for satanism

It's tracts. Also, that's hilarious.

[B. W.]

Or maybe let them pass out tracks in support of constructing a giant pentagram to raise awareness for satanism

It's tracts. Also, that's hilarious.

The are using GPS tracks to make the star...

[crochet1949]

And what would have happened if it had been a Muslim child doing the same with Quran verses , etc. And I wonder if a Christian child would be criticized / reprimanded for praying quietly for his lunch and a Muslim child would be allowed to kneel and pray seven times during his school day.

This is part of why my younger daughter and husband are home schooling their two daughters.

Thanks for The Liberty Counsel -- God bless them. AND God bless that little boy and his parents.

[edwardmurphy]

Or maybe let them pass out tracks in support of constructing a giant pentagram to raise awareness for satanism

It's tracts. Also, that's hilarious.

The are using GPS tracks to make the star...

I stand corrected. Still hilarious.

And what would have happened if it had been a Muslim child doing the same with Quran verses , etc. And I wonder if a Christian child would be criticized / reprimanded for praying quietly for his lunch and a Muslim child would be allowed to kneel and pray seven times during his school day.

This is part of why my younger daughter and husband are home schooling their two daughters.

Thanks for The Liberty Counsel -- God bless them. AND God bless that little boy and his parents.

Please...

This is a nation of 300,000,000 people. There are millions of kids spread across a hundred thousand public schools. That's the backdrop for this absurd persecution tale. In the grand scheme of things incidents like the one mentioned in this story are exceedingly rare. Beyond that, I've looked into a bunch of them (B.W. links them all the time) and in almost every instance they were either outright fabrications, misrepresentations, miscommunications, or disagreements that could have easily been solved by a five minute conversation.

The reason that they seem common is that there are people out there searching for them, collecting them, and broadcasting them as if they were the norm. They're not. Public schools are supposed to be religiously neutral, and on the occasions when they're not it's generally skewed in favor of Christianity, just like it's always been. Christianity doesn't get the same degree of automatic, unquestioned special treatment that it once did, but the implication that Muslims have it good and Christians are getting picked on is absolutely asinine.

[abelcainsbrother]

Come Out And Pray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqEb5zXqqx0

[crochet1949]

Come Out And Pray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqEb5zXqqx0

Have to admit it was interesting.

[crochet1949]

Or maybe let them pass out tracks in support of constructing a giant pentagram to raise awareness for satanism

It's tracts. Also, that's hilarious.

The are using GPS tracks to make the star...

I stand corrected. Still hilarious.

And what would have happened if it had been a Muslim child doing the same with Quran verses , etc. And I wonder if a Christian child would be criticized / reprimanded for praying quietly for his lunch and a Muslim child would be allowed to kneel and pray seven times during his school day.

This is part of why my younger daughter and husband are home schooling their two daughters.

Thanks for The Liberty Counsel -- God bless them. AND God bless that little boy and his parents.

Please...

This is a nation of 300,000,000 people. There are millions of kids spread across a hundred thousand public schools. That's the backdrop for this absurd persecution tale. In the grand scheme of things incidents like the one mentioned in this story are exceedingly rare. Beyond that, I've looked into a bunch of them (B.W. links them all the time) and in almost every instance they were either outright fabrications, misrepresentations, miscommunications, or disagreements that could have easily been solved by a five minute conversation.

The reason that they seem common is that there are people out there searching for them, collecting them, and broadcasting them as if they were the norm. They're not. Public schools are supposed to be religiously neutral, and on the occasions when they're not it's generally skewed in favor of Christianity, just like it's always been. Christianity doesn't get the same degree of automatic, unquestioned special treatment that it once did, but the implication that Muslims have it good and Christians are getting picked on is absolutely asinine.

It's more common than you think. And I don't think it's all that absurd.
And, yes, most Any situation like that Could have been / Should have been handled Much differently. With a 5 minute conversation with much more positive results.
And they are NOT generally skewed in favor Of Christianity.
Muslims Do have more religious freedom than Christianity. In This country. Let's see -- the Ten Commandments have been attacked. Prayer taken out of schools long ago. The manger scenes are even being frowned on at Christmas time. Christmas vacation has become Fall break from school. There are some stores that won't allow clerks to wish customers Merry Christmas -- though 'Happy Holidays' seems to be okay.
So, yes, I'd say that Christians Are getting picked on.